<p>I just wanted to post this to make all you feel better. Today I took the GRE and got a 600 verbal pretty good happy, however I took one of the math sections and then at the end thought the last section "5" said it was experimental math and optional so I just quit it......you guessed it it was the real one lol...OH GOD a 320 lol....looks like I am taking the GRE again with my head dislodged from my anus....I dont know if I should laugh, cry or kick my dog.</p>
<p>So if you think your day is bad just think of old me..320 I didnt even score better than a whole percentile =P</p>
<p>I applied to grad school last year with a decent math score (740) but a very sad verbal (490). I still got into Ivy Leagues. Some schools may use GRE as a cut-off, but there are a LOT of schools that truly don't care. It's the GPA that counts.</p>
<p>It depends on the program as well. If you're planning to get into social sciences, humanities, history and all that, your verbal should be in the 600s (I believe that this is way above average) while keeping an average quantitative score. However, if you're into sciences and engineering, it's the opposite, your quantitative should be in the 700s while maintaining an average verbal score.</p>
<p>A 4.5 to 6 score for the analytical part is pretty competitive.</p>
<p>How about a mathematics/statistics of finance masters program. It's highly quantitative. I'm asking because I didn't prepare for my verbal section thinking that just knowing and understanding how to read textbooks and the New York Times should give me an average score of 470. However, I found out that it's totally not true. I received a score of 410V and 790Q and I am a double major in CS and Econ. With major GPAs of 3.4 and 3.9 respectively. What do you think are my chances of getting into the programs at Columbia or NYU.</p>
<p>GRE's rarely help you... but they can hurt you...
unless English is not your first language, a 410 Verbal will hurt you, even in science programs... study and re-take.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. But the first deadline for applications is on March 1 and after that there's suppose to be a limited number of seats left. However the final deadline is on May 1. I figure since I am taking 19 credits in school this semester. I would need about 2 months to really memorize like a thousand words or so. One of my professors told me to call Columbia and try to set up an appointment and be aggressive to show them that I'm really interested. Also my professor told me due to my low verbal score it would really help if they know that I have no problems conversing at least. I am also interesting if they'll tell me what are my chances as it stands currently and what would happen if I submit by application and all its related materials by March 1 and then submit another set of GRE scores sometime in April.
Any advice?</p>
<p>As the director of a department at a very prestigious school explained to me once, the better the school, the more the GRE matters, because at the very top schools all the applications begin to look the same: 4.0 GPAs, glowing letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose that's perfectly in line with what they do. The GRE is the only point of differentiation left...</p>
<p>But then again, the GRE is not really a good gauge since it's not even diagnostic. You can prepare for over a year and re-take the test for as many times as you can till you get your desired score. It doesn't really measure one's innate aptitude.</p>
<p>That's not entirely true: you can study and re-take, but not many people manage to move the needle significantly, no matter how hard they try. Those who do are those who manage, in the course of study, to overcome significant deficiencies in their initial abilities. But few people who score above, say, 600 on the verbal or quant sections will gain more than 10 or 20 points on a second (or third, or fourth) test.</p>
<p>puppydog...
i don't buy that... you can definitely prepare for these tests and increase your score... i mean, they test vocab, reading, and basic math... I don't know, call me a snob or elitist... but if you (not YOU, you... but the nonspecific you!) think the GRE is a challenge, then grad school is NOT for you... the GRE is a piece of cake in comparison to the challenges of grad school... and if you can't figure out how to study and improve your score, then I question your ability to manage to deal with the rigors of grad school... this test is EASY if you prepare and study... </p>
<p>Of course... the GRE has absolutely NOTHING to do with measuring one's inate talents of is even relevent to graduate studies... but it DOES test whether you can do what it takes to jump through (meaningless) hoops... which grad school has lots... again, if you can't figure out how to master the GRE, then how are you going to master the material in grad school?</p>
<p>I know several who struggled multiple times on the GRE and not only succeeded in grad school but also are standouts in the academic community, including professors. Call me crazy but in the long run I've been told and I do believe it takes more than hot shot GRE scores to make it through grad school.</p>
<p>Of course it takes more than hot shot GRE scores to get through grad school... The GREs are a set of utterly meaningless exams that have NOTHING to do with one's abilities to succeed... </p>
<p>BUT... they are EASY to prepare for... think of it as a hoop to jump through... you have LOTS of stupid hoops to jump through in grad school... some more, some less relevent to real success in your field... but you still gotta jump... and if you cannot do what it takes to prepare for this stupid test, you are going to face even harder challenges... like preliminary exams, qualifying exams, etc...</p>
<p>in that sense, the GREs are NOT a test of intelligence or inherent ability, they are tests that signify the ability to prepare for and complete set challenges... </p>
<p>i have talked with many professors about the relevence of GREs... if a candidate did poorly, the professors don't think the candidate is "stupid", but instead wonder why the heck the candidate didn't prepare... and then they question one's seriousness.</p>
<p>I remember when I was on an interview, one of my interviewers asked me about my GRE scores. I had pathetic scores but a 4.0 GPA from a UC. She asked me why my verbal was so low (490) and I told her the truth - which was that I didn't prepare at all and didn't take the test seriously, but rather as a formality so I could apply to grad school. She found it quite amusing and said that she herself scored very low on the GRE, but she is now a researcher at literally one of the top institutions in the world. Needless to say, she voted for me and I was offered admission. </p>
<p>I was accepted to competitive grad schools (Ivy Leagues and top UCs) for science, so if there are any of you science people stressed out about the GREs - RELAX cause I know from experience that many schools could not care less what your scores are. As someone previously pointed out, the same might not be true for english, pol sci, humanities, etc.</p>
<p>You are lucky then... because some faculty will NOT accept that as an excuse and give everyone a pass... some professors will.. some won't... and for those students who don't have a 4.0 GPA or have some other problem with their application, poor GREs will not help... and for the really competitive programs, do you want to have anything in your file that will give second pause?? especially things for which you could have prepared?</p>
<p>All I'm saying is... PREPARE... it's not hard, people...</p>
<p>Oh, and by the way, not all fields interview prior to the decision (physics and astronomy for example) so you might not even have the opportunity to explain low scores... and if you put it in your essay or statement of purpose, it will sound whiny.</p>
<p>"...many schools could not care less what your scores are. As someone previously pointed out, the same might not be true for english, pol sci, humanities, etc."</p>
<p>Actually, I found this was true for my humanities field as well (History/Museum Studies). Two of the four schools I applied to did not even have a space on the application form for GRE scores.</p>